He was being treated for multiple injuries sustained during a violent robbery at his Clogharevan Park home in Bessbrook, Co Armagh, in August.

At the time police said they believed he had been beaten and stabbed with a sharp implement, possibly a hook, by thieves who ransacked his property and fled with an undisclosed sum of cash.

Chief Inspector Lee McNevison from the PSNI said: "This elderly and vulnerable man was victim to a horrendous attack whilst he was in his bed at his home in Clogharevan Park in Bessbrook during the early hours of Monday August 31.

"A post-mortem will be carried out in due course, however we believe at this stage that he died from the injuries he received following the violent aggravated burglary."

The PSNI said the investigation has received significant support from the local community but officers are appealing for anyone with information to come forward on 101.